The Colour of Spring

Daffodils
~William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

This is the season of yellow. All around me, everywhere I look, the golden blooms of daffodils are bursting out and adorning our landscape in their glorious yellow blossoms.



Over here, it seems, that every traffic circle is filled in the centre with a myriad of daffodils, their cheery heads bobbing in the wind. What a lovely sight it is to behold. Likewise so are the edges of village ponds and walkways. They are such a wonder. This first smile of spring.




We had such a busy day on Saturday. With the warmer weather we decided to paint all the doors of the cottage, which is something that we have been putting off all winter but something that badly needed doing. They look lovely now, all pristine and without a scratch. The cottage smells clean and new. Now all we have to do is start on the walls, which I am afraid will have to wait a while, for they will take some time.




I have had yards and yards of blue checked gingham fabric sitting in my craft cupboard for the past four years waiting for me to sew into curtains for the larder and laundry room. I finally, with the help of a friend, got this done on Saturday as well. I even managed to edge some of them with some lovely crochet white cotton lace that I got in a bargain once upon a time. They look really lovely all in place. Yellow and blue are my favouritest of colours. (my blog, my words, even if they really aren't words at all)



I got the lemon dessert made on the weekend as well. I was so full of the wonders and blessings of spring, that I dared to adorn the tops of them in a stroke of inspired spring whimsey, with little yellow chick sprinkles that I had in the cupboard and a few yellow sparkles. It just seemed fitting that I should do so . . .

Pssssstt!!! Todd is not a fan of lemon . . . I wonder to whom it will fall to eat these up??? (fruit is good for breakfast, right???)




*Layered Lemon Dessert*
Serves 15

This is a dessert I clipped out of a magazine, probably Taste of Home, some years back. It is a tried and true family favourite and I am happy to say, that, now there are just the two of us, it is also easily halved!

First Layer:
1 cup cold butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Second Layer:
2 packages (8 ounces each) of cream cheese, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Third Layer:
2 packages (8 ounces each) cook and serve Lemon pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups cold water, divided
4 egg yolks (save the whites for Pavlova. They freeze really well)

Top Layer:
2 cups whipping cream
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Measure the flour into the bowl for the first layer. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir inthe pecans. Press the mixture into an ungreased 13 X 9 X 2 inch baking dish. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar. Beat well. Fold in the whipped cream and spread the mixture into the cooled crush. Put in the fridge to chill.

Make the lemon layer as follows. (I usually make this while the crust is baking so that it can have time to cool) Combine the puddign mix, sugar, 1 cup of the water and the egg yolks in a saucepan, stirring until smooth. Stir in the remaining water. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and cool completely. (I sometimes pour the mixture into a large sheet pan with sides and spread it out so that it cools faster) Once it is completely cooled, spread it over the cream cheese layer.

For the final layer, beat the cream sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form, taking care not to overbeat. Spread this over the lemon layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve.